This invention relates to electronic devices and, more particularly, to clutch structures for hinges in electronic devices such as portable computers.
Portable computers typically have upper and lower housing portions that are connected by a hinge. The lower housing portion contains components such as printed circuit boards, disk drives, a keyboard, and a battery. The upper housing portion contains a display. When the computer is in an open configuration, the upper housing portion is vertical and the display is visible to the user of the portable computer. When the computer is closed, the upper housing lies flat against the lower housing. This protects the display and keyboard and allows the portable computer to be transported.
Portable computer hinges are challenging to design. It is generally desirable to make a hinge easy to manipulate. A hinge with an overly stiff clutch mechanism may require a user of the computer to use undesirably large amounts of force to pry open the display when using the computer. Stiff hinge clutches may resist opening to such an extent that the entire base of the computer will be lifted upwards if a user attempts to open a display using only one hand. To address these concerns, clutches may be made that are less stiff. Although clutches such as these may be more pleasing to use, they may not always prevent unintended movement of the upper housing relative to the main housing.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved clutch structures for hinges in electronic devices such as portable computers.